The salt wind rolled in from the Bay of Kareya, brushing against the new marble archway that bore the crest of Aragon—a crowned lion resting upon a globe. Below it, masons carved the inscription in three languages: Castilian, Latin, and Mandarin. The foundation stone of the Aragonese Maritime Research Institute had been laid just the day before, and scaffolds were already rising.
Prince Lancelot stood on the cliffside platform overseeing the bay. His coat was buttoned high against the breeze, a set of scrolls tucked under his arm. Below him, cranes and pulleys hoisted timber beams and brass piping onto the docks. Shipwrights and engineers moved with quiet purpose.
"Two months ago," said Admiral Fausto, approaching from behind, "this shoreline had nothing but kelp and gulls."
"And now," Lancelot replied without turning, "it will launch ideas faster than any fleet we've ever built."
